Why Buying Stuff Won’t Make You Happy

The truth is we all need stuff to some degree. We all need the basic necessities to survive and of course we want to be happy and live successful lives. Unfortunately we live in a society that often measures happiness and success by material possessions alone, whereby the more stuff you have the happier you must be.

Sure, you can enjoy the things you have but if you are buying more and more stuff with the belief that it will bring you happiness, prepare yourself for disappointment. In this article we will take a look at why buying stuff won’t make you happy.

You Become Defined By Your Possessions

Often times people build an image in their mind that they feel they need to portray to the outside world. They buy more and more stuff to build and maintain this image to society and those around them in order to fit in and be accepted, all the while losing themselves under all these possessions. They become so identified with the things they own that if these things are stripped away from them, their whole world falls apart.

There is always More To Buy

You’ve just bought the latest car, Iphone or kitchen gadget and you’re so excited! However, no matter how high tech or in fashion you new purchase is, it’s most likely that in the not too distant future they will soon become outdated. Our world moves fast and there are always new versions, new styles and new fashions coming out in the market making it impossible to keep up.

More Stuff Means More Maintenance

Over time most material possessions start to deteriorate, break down and get dirty. It takes time, energy and even more money to maintain, organise and manage these things. They can get lost or stolen and therefore need to be completely replaced. You may end up spending more time on maintaining your possessions than the time you actually get to enjoy them.

You Realise You’re Not Really Impressing Anyone

People often can’t wait to flaunt their new purchases in front of neighbours and friends to impress them and subconsciously inflate their own ego at the same time. While your neighbours and friends might be temporarily interested in your latest purchase, it generally won’t leave a lasting impression. Everyone leads busy lives and your latest spending spree won’t be high on their priority list.

Buying Stuff Can Prevent You From Achieving Your Goals

Buying things that you don’t actually need can prevent you from achieving your goals. In order to realise a dream or goal you have to be focused and disciplined. The time you spend buying and maintaining all your possessions could be distracting you from reaching your goals. The financial drain that unnecessary buying puts on your bank account could also be preventing you from achieving your goals.

Spending Money You Don’t Have Can Lead To Stress

If you are buying things that you really can’t afford, before you know it you will be swamped with credit card debt, personal loans and high interest charges. This soon turns into a vicious downward spiral that is extremely difficult to climb out of. Living like this is very stressful and is not only crippling to your financial health but can have a devastating effect on your physical and mental health as well. If debt or money worries are causing you stress or anxiety it can be a good idea to talk to someone who can help.

Material Stuff Doesn’t Fill Your Emotional Needs

Sure, buying something new can be fun and exciting but the happiness you get from this new thing is always only temporary and once the thrill of your latest purchase has worn off you will find yourself chasing your next shopping fix. The true, lasting happiness that we all desire can only be found in things that money can’t buy. Friendship, family, love, laughter and peace; these are the things that sustain true happiness.

It’s only natural to want to live a happy, abundant life and of course that includes buying new things from time to time. However, true happiness can never be found in possessions and if your spending habits are putting you in debt and having a negative effect on your life then it’s not worth it. Instead of looking for a quick high by buying more stuff look for the real things that will give you true lasting happiness.

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